Container



Patented June 10, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 3 Claims.

This ifivention relates to a new and useful container, particularly one designed for the handling of bakers goods such as loaf cakes, cup cakes, cookies and various confectionaries. In the manufacture and marketing of bakers goods, operations have undergone a radical change in the last decade and. today, instead of goods being supplied and sold over a counter by'a local baker, they are manufactured and packed, largely with machinery, and then rapidly dispatched in trucks for distribution and sale. The goods are thus subject to numerous handling operations to which heretofore they have not been subject and against which they must be protected. At the same time, the goods must be displayed attractively for sale purposes. The container of the present invention is particularly designed and tures of advantage. some of which, together with the foregoing, will appear hereinafter.

In the drawing,

Figure 1 is a perspective view illustrating a package assembled and having goods positioned thereon.

Figure 2 a side elevation illustrating one construction embodying the present invention.

Figure 3 is a section taken along the line 3-3 in Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary side elevation of another form of container embodying the present invention.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary view in section showing another modification.

I ,have discovered that a suitable yet rugged container can be made by providing a rectangular sheet of board or corrugated paper, generally.

indicated at 6, with crease lines 1 to form a base 8 and end portions and II. Normally end portions I and II extend upwardly, as appears in Figure 1, and form a U structure. Various articles such as cup cakes, cookies or the like, can be packed on the base l between the vertical end portions; the base and end portions form a protecting U structure for the articles. A wrapper, generally indicated at H, is placed about the articles packed in the U structure, this wrapper being Cellophane, waxed paper, or other suitable transparent substantially moisture proof wrapping material.

Now in packaging bakers goods, the sheet 8 is ordinarily lacking in suilicient inherent strength to preserve its U structure during the packing operation. I have found that the ends 0 and I0 can be maintained in their substantially vertical position and prevented from collapsing by provision of a strip member indicated at It between each end portion and the base I. This member isattached, as at It and It, to the base and to the adjacent .end portions whereby a triangular enclosure is provided. with the strip member ll providing the hypotenuse of the triangle, the uprightvertical leg being provided by a portion of the end portion and the base of the triangle being a portion of the base structure. The mem-- bers it are attached so that they are taut when the end portion is in a. substantially vertical position, there being one of the members secured adjacent each end of the base i. The end portions fit down readily upon the adjacent base portion so that the unit can be readily shipped as a mere assembly of flat strips.

The sheet 6 can be a single strip of heavy paper or light board or it can be a composite structurein which the sheet 8 is made up of a flat paper sheet 2i having attached thereto an outer corrugated paper face 22. In Figure 4, I have shown sheet 2i of a length such that it extends beyond the corrugated portion and is folded upon itself as at 23, and extended downwardly for attachment as at 24 to the base structure, whereby the interlock between the end portions 9 and II is provided by the integral sheet 2|.

From the foregoing I believe it will be apparent that I have provided a simple, rugged container which is easily constructed. In operation, the strip members can be glued and applied as a line operation, and thereafter the various widths cut of! to provide the individual sheets 8. In this way, cheap production can be obtained.

It is to be particularly pointed out that the point of attachment of members It to the base is at a point close to the adjacent crease line I. This provides a U structure of maximum capacity since members It are nearly parallel to the end portions.

In Figure 5 I have shown, as a modified form of the invention, a structure in which the end portion is creased and folded upon itself, first as at 3i and again as at 32. This provides an upright portion 33 and a base 34 which is attached to base 6. and forms a continuation thereof. This provides the requisite triangular stifiening for the end portions 8 and I0.

I claim: Y

1. A package consisting of a fiat substantially base at said fold lines and movable relative to said base into a position substantially 90 to said base to provide with said base .a U structure, a flexible strip attached to one of said end portions and folded inwardly and attached to said base adJacent the fold line connecting said last mentioned end portion to said base and forming the hypotenuse of a triangle which includes as the legs thereof a portion at least of said end portion and a portion of said base, and a second flexible strip attached to the other of said end portions and folded inwardly and attached to said base adjacent the fold line connecting said last mentioned end portion and said base and forming the hypotenuse of a triangle which includes as the legs thereof a portion at least of said end portion and a portion of said base, each of said parallel to the base and a second position in which said attached end portion is substantially at 90 to said base.

2. A package consisting of a flat substantially rectangular member having parallel fold lines extending transverse to the longitudinal axis of said member to provide an intermediatearticle receiving base portion between said lines, opposite end portions integrally connected to said base at said fold lines and movable relative to said base into a position substantially 90 to said base to provide with said base a U structure, a flexible strip attached to one of said end portions and folded inwardly and attached to said base adjacentthe fold line connecting said last mentioned end portion to said base and forming the hypotenuse of a triangle which includes as the legs thereof aportion at least of sa1d end portion and a portion of said base, and a second flexible strip attached to the other of said end portions and folded inwardly and attached to said base adjacent to the fold line connecting said last mentioned end portion and said base and forming the hypotenuse of a triangle which includes as the legs thereof a portion at least of said end portion and a portion of said base, each of said strips limiting movement of its attached end portion between a first position in which said attached end portion lies over and substantially parallel to the base and a second position in which said attached end portion is substantially at 90 to said base, said base portion and said opposite end portions providing a U structure receiving enclosure for articles placed on said base and normally tending to force said end portions outwardly away from said base portion, and a wrapper positioned about said U structure to encase articles positioned on said base portion and between the end portions providing opposite legs of said U structure.

3. A package consisting of a flat substantially rectangular member having parallel fold lines portion of said base, and a second flexible strip attached to the other of said end portions and to said base and forming the hypotenuse of a triangle which includes as the legs thereof a portion at least of said other end portion and a portion of said base, each of said strips limiting movement of its attached end portion between a first position in which said attached end portion lies over and substantially parallel to the base and a second position in which said attached end portion is substantially at to said base, said rectangular member consisting of an outer corrugated paper sheet secured to an inner flat paper sheet, said fiat sheet being folded back upon itself and secured to said base to provide.

said first and second flexible strips.

ROBERT P. BEMISS 

